Parent Coach Training Takes Place in Phoenix, Arizona

We delivered our latest parent coach training in Phoenix, Arizona with the support of our partners at the TASC Community Grant Initiative, who made the event possible.

We gathered 18 parents from the Arizona area, all impacted by their child or a loved one’s substance use, for a weekend-long intensive training to become volunteer parent coaches.

Training sessions can often be emotional, as people share and reflect on their personal family experiences. One coach mentor shared the most common theme from parents in attendance was, “I wish I had known there was a resource like this out there… the beginning may not have been so difficult.”

While all the families shared very different stories, they were united in their desire to help other parents who are currently struggling with substance use in their own families.

"Learning how to communicate with my daughter and meeting her where she is has been a game changer and lifesaver for me. By using the tools that I've learned at this training, I am now less stressed, cry less, and my daughter and I have a better relationship as we work together to help her achieve recovery."

Angie Geren, Parent Coach

“This training helped fulfill an extraordinary need in our communities,” said Leslie Bloom, Director of the TASC Community Grant Initiative. “Every day more and more parents are seeking help and being able to connect them with a parent coach, in addition to professional counseling, is a welcome and ideal support system for families.”

Parents and guardians receive free, specialized training using the evidence-based approaches of CRAFT (Community Reinforcement and Family Training), MI (Motivational Interviewing) and ACT (Acceptance and Commitment Therapy). They are conducted by expert, PhD-level clinical staff from our clinical partner, the Center for Motivation and Change, an experienced parent coach ‘mentor’ and professional staff members from the Partnership for Drug-Free Kids.

Once trained, parent coaches commit to volunteer for at least six months, providing one-on-one support to other parents through personalized guidance over the phone. Parent coaches also participate in bi-weekly training and support calls to discuss current cases, challenges and review key points from the weekend-long training.